Valorous Firebrand
Basic Information *Name: Valorous Firebrand *Concept: Aspiring young hero *Player: RadRyan122 *Motivation: Be Creation's greatest hero *Exalt Type: Solar ** Caste: Dawn *Age: 17 *Anima: A swirling corona of golden flame surrounds him, and the sound of a crowd cheering can be heard. History Firebrand began his life (or at least what he can remember of it) as one of the many orphans left to their own devices in the Scavenger Lands. His name was given to him by the tavern owner that put him to work running errands and serving drinks because of his uncanny ability to cause fights he had no chance of winning. Even when he lost fights however, he usually fought back hard enough that none of his opponents ever wanted a rematch. Living and working at a tavern in village along the Yellow River between Nexus and Great Forks, Firebrand saw travelers from all over the Scavenger Lands, and eavesdropped on many a conversation. His favorite patrons were always the storytellers, whose tales of Dragonblooded heroes and sorcerers made him dream of seeing all of Creation and having his own tales spread to young ears in far-off common rooms. He knew this would never happen, though, and always gave up on his dreams the next morning when the storytellers settled their bills and left. That all changed, though, when the greatest storyteller Firebrand had ever heard came to his tavern. He wasn't much too look at - just a tall, dusty man in his middle years - but the story he told that night was all of Firebrand's dreams given voice. And the old man had told it so well that none of the others seemed to mind that the protagonist was they young serving boy too distracted to bring their drinks in a timely manner. He hardly slept that night, not wanting to have to give up on those dreams as he would have to when he woke the next morning. But sleep he did, and when the morning came the storyteller was already gone. But his dreams wouldn't go away this time. Over the next week, Firebrand wrestled with the desire to leave his village and try to make the man's story into a reality. It was a losing battle, and when the next trading ship came along he used all of his meager savings to buy passage to Great Forks. He wasn't sure what he'd do once he got there, but he felt like he had to go, and the City of Temples was as good a place as any to start. The last thing he had expected was for the old storyteller to be waiting for him when he got there. As it turned out, the storyteller was none other than the Spinner of Glorious Tales, one of the Three who ruled Great Forks. Intrigued by the young boy who had gotten caught up in his charm-fueled tale and followed him home, Talespinner took Firebrand in and brought him up as a sort of adopted son. As he watched Firebrand grow, he saw the potential for one of the greatest stories imaginable, and cultivated the boy's personality to that end. Instilling in him a strong sense of justice, and fostering his already startling courage, Talespinner encouraged him to become the type of hero that would be immortalized in song. He made sure the boy was able to learn anything he wanted, and was not surprised when he tended to choose swordplay over history and mathematics. Then, when word got out in Heaven that the Solar Exaltations had been unleashed upon Creation, he encouraged Firebrand to take on more and more dangerous and thrilling adventures. By the time he was fifteen, Firebrand had made a habit of going out on such adventures. During the Calibration festival of that year, Great Forks was to be holding an open tournament to give revelers a real show. Amateur fighters were encouraged to refrain from entering because of the unusual circumstances that could be brought on in the middle of a duel, but Firebrand was determined to enter regardless. During his first match up, he suddenly found himself in quite the predicament: his opponent, being older and more experienced, had managed to back him onto an unstable pile of stones, and he had tripped and fallen /up./ Finding himself literally turned upside-down, Firebrand forced himself to keep fighting, and somehow turned the fight in his favor. It wasn't until after the other man had given up that he noticed the nimbus of golden essence that surrounded him. With the power of the Sun coursing throuh him, the rest of the tournament proved no real challenge. Elated, he had gone to his mentor to tell him what had occured. When he told the god that the tale he had told when he first met him had come true, the Spinner of Glorious Tales offered him an enigmatic smile and said, "You couldn't be more wrong, Brand. Your tale's only just beginning." Since then, Firebrand has been on the lookout for every opportunity to do something truly heroic. Talespinner made sure all his needs were met, giving him a small yet luxiurious manse within Great Forks to live in, as well as a weapon and armor more fitting for a Solar Exalt. However, with his newfound power, Firebrand found that the adventures he used to go on now seemed boring rather than thrilling. So, when Talespinner had come to him with that same enigmatic smile and told him to head East along Yellow River, he hadn't stopped to question why. He knew that smile meant that Talespinner thought there was a story in the making, and that was enough for him. Appearance and Personality Valorous Firebrand is an attractive youth with red-gold hair and bright blue eyes, barely old enough to be called a man. He is tall for his age, thin and fit, but not heavily muscled. He walks with the type of arrogance that can only be gained through the combination of youth and skill. He is usually seen wearing his orichalcum armor over otherwise plain clothing, with his Daiklave across his back. When outside of Great Forks, he wears a heavy cloak over his armor to keep it hidden, but he eagerly awaits the day that he can walk Creation openly as the Exalted hero he was chosen to be. A brash, idealistic young man, Firebrand doesn't hesitate to stand up for his own view of justice. If he sees people being victimized, he will almost always come to their aid, especially if there is a large crowd to spread word of his heroics after. He pays extra attention to orphans he meets, having been one himself and knowing how difficult their lives can be at times. Attributes Physical (Primary) Strength 2 Dexterity 5 Stamina 4 Social (Secondary) Charisma 3 Manipulation 2 Appearance 4 Mental (Tertiary) Perception 2 Intelligence 2 Wits 3 Abilities DAWN Archery Martial Arts 2 Melee 5 Thrown 3 War ZENITH Integrity Performance 3 Presence 3 Resistance 2 Survival TWILIGHT Craft Skills Craft (Air) Craft (Earth) Craft (Fire) Craft (Water) Craft (Wood) Investigation Lore 1 Medicine Occult 1 NIGHT Athletics 3 Awareness 3 Dodge 3 Larceny Stealth ECLIPSE Bureaucracy Linguistics 1 Ride 2 Sail Socialize Languages Native Language: Riverspeak Old Realm Backgrounds Artifact 2 - Orichalcum Daiklave Artifact 1 - Orichalcum Lamellar Manse 2 - Fire Aspected (Gemstone of Last Resort) Mentor 3 - Spinner of Glorious Tales Artifacts Firebrand possesses a suit of Orichalcum Lamellar and an Orichalcum Daiklave called "Blazing Glory." Both of them were given to him by Talespinner, along with his manse, after his Exaltation. Manses Firebrand holds a fire aspected manse in Great Forks, given to him by his mentor. Talespinner had the manse redesigned for his young protege as soon as he heard that the boy had Exalted as a Solar. It is Firebrand's residence in his home city, with the Comfort Zone power and the following magical amenities: *The walls of each room become illuminated with an inner fire that keeps the rooms brightly lit and comfortably warm when needed *The doors within the manse open when approached by Firebrand or anyone he has invited into his home *The kitchens prepare raw food as a meal suitable for one of the Sun's Chosen *An advanced training room for his own personal use *A variety of well-maintaned weapons for him to practice with Charms Athletics *Second Athletics Excellency - Essence Triumphant / 2m per success / Exalted p184 **Thunderbolt Attack Prana / 3m, 1wp / Exalted p223 (Firebrand's signature attack is leaping into the air with his weapon, blazing with white-gold essence, held high above his head) Melee *First Melee Excellency - Essence Overwhelming / 1m per die / Exalted p184 **Hungry Tiger Technique / 1m / Exalted p190 **Dipping Swallow Defense / 2m / Exalted p192 ***Bulwark Stance / 5m / Exalted p19 ****Heavenly Guardian Defense (Valor) / 4m / Exalted p193 *Call the Blade / 1m / Exalted p191 Performance *Respect Commanding Attitude / 5m / Exalted p202 **Face the Light / 5m, 1wp / MoEP: Abyssals p141 Resistance *Body-Mending Meditation / 10m / Exalted p208 *Ox-Body Technique / -- / Exalted p208 (1x-1 and 2x-2 health levels) Combos Heroic Strike - First Melee Excellency, Hungry Tiger Technique, Thunderbolt Attack Prana, Heavenly Guardian Defense Equipment Mundane Equipment Magical Equipment Blazing Glory - Speed 5, Accuracy 14, Damage 8L, Parry DV 7, Rate 4 Orichalcum Lamellar - Soak +10L/+11B, Hardness 6L/6B, Mobility -1, Fatigue 0, Attune 2 Vital Information Willpower 9/9 Virtues Compassion 4 Conviction 1 Temperance 1 Valor (Primary) 5 Limit 0/10 Virtue Flaw: Foolhardy Contempt Firebrand knows no fear. He places himself at the forefront of battle, thoughtlessly challenges enemies to single combat, volunteers for all dangerous missions, and won't retreat under any circumstances. Duration: One full day. Trigger: Any time he fights against losing odds, is challenged to single combat, or otherwise has an opportunity to prove his bravery. Combat Statistics Defense Values Dodge DV: 5 (4 in armor) Parry DV: 7 Mental Dodge DV: 6 Mental Parry DV: 3 Soak Bashing Soak 15(10) Lethal Soak 12(7) Aggravated Soak 10(5) Health 10/10 -0 [ ] -1 [ ] [ ] [ ] -2 [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] -4 [ ] Incapacitated [ ] Dying [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Essence 2; 15/15, 27/34 Personal - 15/15 Peripheral - 27/34 Committed - Daiklave 5, Lamellar 2 Other Information Intimacies *Spinner of Glorious Tales *Great Forks *Heroic Deeds *Orphans Experience: 21/37 Bonus Point Expenditure *Valor 5 - 6BP *Melee 5 - 2BP *Ride 2 - 2BP *Artifact 1 - 1BP *Combo - 4BP Experience Point Expenditure *Call the Blade - 8xp *Face the Light - 8xp Various OOC Notes Category:CotUS PC Category:Valorous Firebrand